The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Nemesia plant grown as an ornamental for use in garden and landscape borders, or in containers. The new variety is known botanically as Nemesia foetens and will be referred to hereinafter by the cultivar name ‘FLEURFRAM’.
‘FLEURFRAM’ resulted from a formal breeding program begun by the inventor in 1998 at her nursery in West Sussex, United Kingdom. The purpose of the breeding program is to produce new varieties of Nemesia that exhibit compact habit and new flower colors and color combinations.
In 2008, the inventor conducted controlled cross-pollination between two unreleased and unpatented selections of Nemesia from the inventor's breeding program, namely Nemesia code number 825 (unpatented) as male parent and Nemesia code number 832 (unpatented) as female parent. ‘FLEURFRAM’ was selected by the inventor in 2009 for its attractive multicolored inflorescence which is comprised of individual flowers of varying age and color.
‘FLEURFRAM’ is distinguishable from the male parent, ‘825’ as follows:
Whereas the flowers of ‘FLEURFRAM’ are raspberry red, fading to lilac-blue, with a maroon palate or “eye”, the flowers of the male parent are red and do not exhibit any fading with age. Additionally ‘FLEURFRAM’ exhibits an upright habit with a smaller leaf, ‘825’ has a trailing habit and produces a larger size leaf.
‘FLEURFRAM’ is distinguishable from the female parent, ‘832’ as follows:
Whereas the habit of ‘FLEURFRAM’ is compact with a shorter overall plant size at maturity, ‘832’ exhibits an open habit with a taller overall plant size at maturity.
The closest comparison plant known to the inventor is the inventor's variety, ‘FLEURIPI’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,851). ‘FLEURIPI’ is distinguishable from ‘FLEURFRAM’ as follows: Mature plants of ‘FLEURIPI’ are shorter in height than plants of ‘FLEURFRAM’. ‘FLEURIPI’ has smaller strong pink colored flowers compared to ‘FLEURFRAM’ which are larger in size and which vary from raspberry red fading to lilac-blue with a maroon palate or “eye” in color.
‘FLEURFRAM’ was first asexually propagated by the inventor in 2009 in an unheated greenhouse at the inventor's nursery in West Sussex, United Kingdom using softwood cuttings. The inventor has determined that ‘FLEURFRAM’ is stable and uniform, and reproduces true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.
The first public distribution anywhere in the world of any plants of ‘FLEURFRAM’ took place in April 2011 when the inventor commenced deliveries of plants to garden centers in the United Kingdom. These plants had all been grown by the inventor from plants which the inventor had privately commissioned to be produced solely for the inventor under virus-free conditions. The inventor filed an application for European Community Plant Breeders' Rights for ‘FLEURFRAM’ on Dec. 22, 2011, Serial Number 2011/3170. That application states a first date of sale in Europe as 10 Jan. 2011 and refers to the purchase by the inventor of the privately-commissioned plants above.